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Friday, June 10, 2011

Liquid Lunch, Stormhouse, CBeebies

Been a while since I've posted here before today, had lots of stuff to do, and travel, and the usual mayhem. So it's time to catch up on essential things, like what me old muckers Danny Stack, Jason Arnopp, and Dan Turner have been up to.

Now for those loveable scamps Jason Arnopp and Dan Turner, who have made an independent horror feature film. It's called Stormhouse, it's a proper brutal horror film, and it'll scare your very organs out of your body and send them shooting out the nearest window. What's it about? How's this for a pitch: "In 2002, eight months before the invasion of Iraq, the Military captured and imprisoned a supernatural entity at Stormhouse, a secret underground base. This film documents the final four days of that experiment." That's all I'm telling you, it's best to go in as fresh as possible. For screening and release details, go to the official site here, then go and give them some love on Facebook, and on Twitter, and check out their blogs for more - Dan's blog is here, and Jason's blog is here. It's screening at the Edinburgh International Film Festival on 23rd and 24th June, and if you fancy going, you can get tickets here. Now check out the brilliant teaser trailer:

There's a lot of talk about how it's impossible to get anything made these days, and sure, it's difficult, no question. But instead of using their energy complaining about it, Danny, Jason and Dan focused on making something themselves. Different ends of the scale, one involved an investor and full cast and crew, one involved borrowed cameras, borrowed pub, and a few people pulling together. But both required a lot of hustle, hard work, and enthusiasm, all things you can easily supply yourself, for free!

The rest of it doesn't have to cost much, or anything at all. You can write something. You can borrow a camera (you can, one of your friends will have *something* you can use, or a friend of a friend, or you can even hire something for a day). You can get free editing software (don't ask me, just Google "free editing software", use a bit of common sense!) You can get friends to help, you can even get experienced people to help, if you just ask on Shooting People or do a Twitter/blog shout out. The thing is, there are no more excuses, if you want to make something, go and make it. List all the things you have, and write something around them. Ask if you can film in your local pub, or shop, or mate's house. If you really want this, you'll get off your arse and you'll do it. If you don't, you won't.

In the meantime, CBeebies are running a writing competition. It's for UK based writers who are 18 or over, the deadline is Thursday 14th July, they want a script between 20 and 30 pages and a series outline. The website has script samples and video clips to help you out. Get on it!